F1’s Laura Müller continuing to blaze a trail for women

As a child, Laura Müller dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 driver – inspired by the legendary Michael Schumacher.

“I always watched Formula 1 on Sundays,” the German said in an August 2025 interview published by the auto motor und sport portal. But nobody was taking her seriously back then, and since she didn’t know how to get started in karting, a motor racing career remained nothing more than a dream.

Starting out in Australia

Still, Müller would go on to work her way into Formula 1, becoming the series’ first female race engineer in 2025. 

Her job means she is the main technical and operational link between French driver Esteban Ocon and his car at Team Haas. She got it through sheer willpower, hard work, talent, and meticulous attention to detail.

The starting point – just like the start of the new Formula 1 season –  came down under. At 18, Müller traveled to Australia after graduating from high school, unsure of what to do next.

“I thought to myself: If I can’t become a Formula 1 driver, I’ll just work in Formula 1.”

This was the beginning of a remarkably focused career path.

After completing her mechanical engineering studies, Müller gained her first practical experience as an engineer in 2014, initially through an internship in the DTM (German Touring Car Masters). 

She went on to work in endurance racing, the DTM, the International Formula Series, and the Brazilian Stock Car Championship.

Formula 1’s first female race engineer

In 2022, Müller took her first concrete step towards Formula 1 by applying to then-McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl. Although she made a positive impression, internal restructuring prevented her from being hired.

Instead, the Haas team signed her as a performance engineer. Her main task: optimizing the car’s setup and on-track performance.

Impressed by her work ethic, it was Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu who last year gave her the big break she was after. Since then, she has been his closest contact, the one who makes strategic decisions with him during the race, inspects the track, analyzes data, and determines the car’s setup.

Despite her fame in F1 though, she is not one to seek the limelight, preferring instead to concentrate on her work.

“My responsibility is to make the decisions for my car,” Müller explained.

“I receive all the information from all the departments: from the aerodynamics people, the tire people, the performance engineer, the vehicle dynamics. I then try to translate this information into a decision,” she said. “I simply take a lot of decisions. And many of these decisions have to be taken very quickly.”

‘A decision better than no decision’

As a rule, these decisions are anything but spontaneous, having been thought through ahead of time in an effort to prepare for any foreseeable scenario. There’s simply no time for lengthy deliberation in an emergency.

“A decision is always better than no decision. And if it’s wrong, then it was wrong. But I can only do that because I already have a considerable amount of experience in motorsport,” she said.

“It’s great working with Laura. She’s truly an outstanding engineer,” said Ocon in the spring of 2025, after having worked with her for the first few races of the season.

“The number of hours she invests is very, very impressive.”

New regulations bring greater responsibility

Nevertheless, their first season together didn’t go entirely as planned. Ocon, who joined Haas from the Alpine team at the beginning of 2025, only managed 38 points in 24 races and finished the season 15th out of 20 drivers. Ocon’s teammate, Oliver Bearman, a rookie, ultimately finished three points and two positions ahead of him.

The Haas team is expecting to improve this season partly because of new regulations. This year, the combustion engine and battery will contribute roughly half of the cars’ power. Energy management and energy recovery during the lap – through braking, lifting off the throttle, or downshifting – will therefore be essential for success.

The coordination between driver and race engineer will thus become even more intensive, and Müller’s responsibility even greater, as there are even more details to consider and adjust. For Ocon, this can only be an advantage, given Müller’s expertise.

Turn 6 named after Müller and Schmitz

The German will also receive a special honor at the season opener in Melbourne: Turn 6, the “Marina” of the Albert Park Circuit, will be named after her and Red Bull strategist Hannah Schmitz. The dedication is part of the “In Her Corner” campaign by Australian engineers and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation for International Women’s Day.

The initiative is meant to inspire young people – especially girls – to pursue technical careers.

“To be a part of this acknowledgement so early on in my Formula 1 career is an honour, and I hope it motivates girls and young adults to pursue a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics),” Müller said in a statement on F1’s official website. 

“It’s important to recognize women’s accomplishments in motorsport so far, and it’s great to be alongside Hannah for this.”

Müller aims to continue to inspire young women on Sunday, sitting on the pit wall as she always does, calmly making quick, informed decisions to help deliver success to her Haas team.

This article was originally published in German.